The International Feature Documentary Jury featured: Malika Zouhali-Worrall (Director, THANK YOU FOR PLAYING, Hot Docs 2015), Tabitha Jackson (Director of the Documentary Film Program at Sundance Institute in Los Angeles) and Alison Klayman (Director, THE 100 YEARS SHOW, Hot Docs 2015).
Directed by Karen Guthrie and Produced by Karen Guthrie and Nina Pope, The Closer We Get is a powerful and exquisitely-shot autobiographical portrait of loyalty, broken dreams and redemption told by its director, reluctantly-dutiful daughter Karen, who takes you under the skin of the household she returns to for this long goodbye.

Family Story

Karen’s mother Ann suffers a devastating stroke that brings her daughter back home when she least expects it. But Karen isn’t the only one who returns to help care for Ann in the crisis: Her prodigal father, the unfathomable but endearing Ian – separated from Ann for years – also reappears. Armed with her camera, Karen seizes this last chance to confront the family story before it’s too late, to come to terms with the aftermath of the secret her father had tried – and failed – to keep from them all, and to find that Ann’s stroke has in fact thrown them all a life raft.

With candour, warmth and much unexpected humour, Karen’s role as family confidante, busybody, therapist and spy brings to her audience both a compelling story and a unique portrait of contemporary family survival.

Director and Producer Karen Guthrie said: “We are thrilled to win this award for The Closer We Get at this year’s Hot Docs – this means so much to the team. The film has been five years in the making and includes family archive going back many decades – a real labour of love. Canada has a special place in the film’s back story – My mother Ann – one of the film’s protagonists – emigrated to Canada from Scotland in the early 1960’s and it was my father Ian who lured her back home to marry him – and so our story unfolds!”